What it Means to Pay Your VT Traffic Ticket

Paying a non-criminal traffic ticket is an admission of guilt. By pleading “admitted” or “no contest” you typically:

Have the option to easily pay your traffic ticket fines online or by mail. The back of the white copy of your ticket thoroughly covers your options.

Get points added to your driver’s license} depending on the severity of your moving violation. Additional points could also affect your job or employment options (if your work requires you to maintain a clean driving record). If you accumulate 10 points, the state will suspend your driver’s license

Ticket Payment Deadline

You have 20 days from the day you get ticketed to respond to the court. That doesn’t mean you have to pay the traffic ticket in full by that deadline, but you must check either “Admitted,” or “No Contest” (or “Denied” if you plan to dispute the ticket) on the actual citation and mail it back to the address listed. Once the court receives your answer, it will mail you a letter requesting payment by a certain deadline. Be sure your license reflects your current address to avoid any delays in receiving correspondence.

If you decide to pay your traffic ticket online, you can skip this step. Online payments don’t require you to enter a plea of admitted or to mail anything else to the Judicial Bureau.

Failure to Respond

Failure to get your answer in to the court results in a default judgment. That means any points associated with the violation will then be added to your driving record. Also, the court will send a license suspension notification to the VT DMV. Shortly after that, you’ll receive a letter in the mail from the DMV with your suspension date. If your address on your driver’s license isn’t current, this will cause further delays that could mean more penalties.

Pleading Guilty as a Vermont CDL Driver

The procedure for paying your VT traffic ticket remains the same as any other driver. However, those with a Vermont commercial driver’s license, must also notify their employer within 30 days of conviction for any traffic violations no matter what type of vehicle they were driving; parking tickets don’t count. For more on traffic violations and penalties for CDL drivers, refer to our page on traffic ticket fines and penalties and the Vermont’s Commercial Driver License Handbook.

Pleading Not Guilty

You always have the option to dispute the traffic ticket instead of paying it. This requires checking the “Denied” box on your actual citation and returning the ticket to the address listed. For more on how to contest a VT traffic ticket, read our page titled Fighting Your Traffic Ticket.

Pay Your Vermont Traffic Ticket Online

Vermont makes it easy for drivers to
pay a traffic ticket online. In order to make a payment to the VT Judicial Bureau, you’ll need to submit your ticket number, (located at the top of your traffic ticket), e-mail address and credit card info online. Once your payment for the ticket fines and processing fee goes through, you’ll receive a receipt via e-mail.

Pay Your VT Traffic Ticket By Mail

The back of the white copy of your VT traffic ticket has all the info you need to submit your payment by mail. If you’ve misplaced your Vermont traffic citation, visit our page on
lost traffic tickets.

You can also contact the court if you’re unclear on how to proceed. Keep in mind that if you plan on paying the traffic ticket, you must first check the box stating how you want to plead. Then return the ticket along with your payment* to the address listed on your traffic citation. Do this within 20 of being cited or read the next section on requesting an extension.

*You can also just submit your answer by mail within this time. Once the court receives your guilty plea, it will send you a letter requesting payment by a certain deadline.

Request an Extension

Again, you don’t have to pay the traffic ticket in full within 20 days; you just have to tell the court how you want to plead. If you need more time to gather funds to pay the ticket, submit a
Request for Extension of Time to Pay in writing with a $30 minimum payment per violation to the following address.

Vermont Judicial Bureau
P.O. Box 607
White River Junction, VT 05001

Removing Points Your Driving Record

Once you plead guilty and pay your Vermont traffic ticket, the state will add points to your driving record. Unfortunately, the only way those points fall off is through the passage of time―two years per violation. The state offers no option to take a driver safety or defensive driving course to quickly erase points, but a court judge might look favorably upon you for taking such a course after you were cited. Plus, touching up on your driving skills can only help. Just don’t expect an automatic reduction in fines, points or penalties as a result of you completing such a course.

Check Your Driving Record

After paying your ticket, expect to see your driving record points increase. Allow some time to pass for the ticket to be processed, and then make it a point to
check your driving record. Do this to ensure the state’s record accurately reflects the proper number of points. Learn more on Vermont’s point system.